Moses g



Mus G. Farm eri? [vip M z'nf and Ex :51j wals/ inf gaat PATENTE@ DEC 24 i867 v @uiten taire gutem; @fitte MOSES G; FARMER. OF SALEM, MASSACHUSETTS.

Letters Patent No. 72,616, dated December 24, 1867.

IMPROVEMENT IN LIGHTING AND EXTINGUISHNG GAS.

"che Sthebnienfnnt tu ir. ilgrsr trttrts atnu imhmnliing part nt its senin.

EO ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

Be it known that I, MOSES G. FARMER, of Salem, in the county of Essex, and State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improved Gas-Lighting and Extinguishing Apparat-us; .and I do hereby declare that the following, taken in connection with the dran-ings which accompany and form part of this specification, is a description of my invention sufficient to enable those skilled in the art to practise it.

The invention relates to a construction or arrangement of mechanism for lighting and extinguishing street gas-lamps by electricity. e

Sevcral plans have, of late years, been devised for effecting this object, but, so far as know, they have all provedipractically inefficient, for the reasons not necessary herein to specify, as, with the exception of employing a current of electricity, to effect the lighting and extinguishmcnt of the lamps, my method is quite diterent from all others known to me.

To be practical, the electric spark,.which ignites the ,gas, should be generated at or near the burner, and the apparatus for directly eil'eeting such ignition should be protected from the injurious eiect otn the weather, and should he strong and durable, inexpensive, and of simple and easy construction, and these are characteristics of my invention.

By my arrangement, the lamps are to be lighted from a central oilice, but the lighting-spark is generated from an apparatus directly connected with each burner, so that the lighting of one lamp is in no way contingent upon the lighting of an adjacent one. v

The drawings represent an apparatus embodying the invention, A showing the same in elevo.tion, (the faceplate of the box being removcd;) B, a vertical cross-seotion.

a denotes a strong metal box (preferably of cast iron) covered and made gas-tight by a face-plate, b, secured upon it "by screws c, the joint being made close by a packing, d, the interior of the box constituting a gascbamber. From the top of this box the burner e, (or a pipe leading to said burner,) projects, said burner or burner-pipe being suitably iixed to the box, and communicating with the gas-chamber through a valve-passage, f, controlled by a valve, g. Within, and fastened to one ofthe `walls ot` the box, is a hed of wood, or equivalent insulating-substance, 7L, which supports a compound or double magnetic coil, secured to thc bed by a strap, 2', or in any other suitable manner. This' compound coil is made like any ordinary inductioncoil, having a central bundle of tine iron Wires, k, an inner or primaiy helix of coarse Wire, l, and an outer or secondary helix of tine Wires, m. 1Ehe wires of both helices are preferably made of copper, this metal being the best conductor in proportion to its cost. n a are two U-shaped permanent steel magnets, situated at the opposite ends ofthe central bundle of ne iron wires 7:, (which projects at each end beyond the helices Zm, as seen at A,) and embracing the ends ot' the wires or extending up upon vthe opposite sides thercoi, as seen at B. The magnets are mounted upon a rockenshaft or bar, p, turning on bearings or pivots at q. An arm, 1', is fixed upon and extends up from the rocker-shaft, and, at its upper end, this arm is forked and straddles the stern of thc valve g, or enters a groove therein, so that outward movement of the arm opens the valve, and inward movement closes it, as will be readily understood. The valveg is Amade conical, and rests, when closed, in a correspondingly conical valve-seat, e, as seen at B, and the valve has a tongue or spindle, t, sliding in the gas-passage or tube f, and insuring the accurate contact of the valve with its seat when the valve is pushed in. The passage through the valve-seat leadsv directly to the burner, as seen at B. One end of the primary helix Z, is connected to the inner end of an insulated screw-cup, u, by a Wire, u, while the other end of said coil is connected to a similar cup, u', by a wire, u". Que end of the secondary coil or helix m is in metallic connection with the burner or burner-pipe by a wire, te, 'while the other end of said coil is connected by a wire, w', to an insulated conductor, this con` ductot and the screw-cups being insulated from the walls of the box by pieces of ruleanite or equivalent material, The insulation of the conductor :i: should be of such degree as to require a spark of nearly a quarter of an inch in length to leap from the Wire tu', of the secondary helix, to the metal Werl: of or Within the The conductor x extends up to or over the orice of the burner, and terminates in a platina point, e. Another conductor, el, having a platina point, 22, is xed to the burner, and, through the burner and valve-seat ie brought inte metallic connection with the Wire w of the secondaryr coil.

They two platina points may preferably be placed about one-sixteenth of an inch apart, and about onequarter of an inch over the orifice at which the gas issues from the burner.

.At the bottom of the box is a pipe, a', by which connection is made between the gas-chamber and the gaspipe of the lamp to which the box is to be applied. The box, so arranged, is placed on a lamp-post, above the bracket, or is secured within the post, the burner e being at the point at which the gas is usually burned, and the pipe a is connectedto the service-pipe, which runs to or through the post, the gas-chamber oi the box a being thereby'constituted intoan enlargement of the gas-pipe, from which the flow of gas is' controlled by the valve g. v

An ordinary gas-cock may be applied to the service-pipe, below or above the box, to shut o or regulate the flow of gas into the box. The circuit-wires from the central oiiiec are connected to the box through the cups u u. l

If a suiiiciently strong current of electricity be sent in the proper direction through the primary helix Z, its bundle of soft iron wires, k, becoming magnetic, will attract one pole of the permanent magnets and repel the other, thus rocking the shaft or harp, moving the lever or arm 1', and opening the valve "g, permitting the gas to ilow into and through the burner. If this primary current be now suddenly broken, an intense current will be generated in the secondary helix m, which current will pass around and across the platina points e z2, causing a spark at the points, which spark will ignite the issuing gas. The operations of closing and opening this primary circuit may be repeated many times in rapid succession, if the gas fails to be ignited the first time.

If the primary current be now sent through the coil Z, in the opposite direction, the valve will be closed by the reverse attraction and repulsion of the bundles of wires k, upon the magnets n o. (The attraction o'f the permanent magnets for the bundle of soft iron wires should be sufficient to" keep the valve either open or closed, according to the direction of theilast current used.)

I do not conne myseli` to the use of a conical valve, as I may use a flap-valve, a balanced valve, like that used in the telegraph, or any other valve or cock that may be applicable. Many of these boxes may be inserted into a primary circuit, which has battery-power sufficient to operate them, by one Grove-cell for each box. There should be a condenser att-ached to the primary wires,just each side of the spot where the primary circuit is to be broken, in order to give suiiicient length to the sparks.

The magnets may be stationary, and the bundle of wires k made movable and connected to and so as to work the valve, and the magnets may be outside of the box, and inlluence the bundle of wires lc' k, through a thin non-magnetic partition, or the primary and secondary coils, and their contained bundle of wires, may be outside, and iniiuence the magnet, which, in such case, should be inside, and arranged to operate the valve.

I claim the-combination of a straight, electro-magnetic bar, with its pole Ysituated between the poles of two bent or Ushaped permanent magnets, which permanent magnets may be either simple or compound.

I claim, for use, in combination with the gas-burner of a street gas-lamp, a box or gas-chamber, containing an electric-spark-gcnerating mechanism, and mechanism, as described, for opening with the current in one direction, and closing with the current in the opposite direction, a valve, said box containing gas, and being arranged to be located'at or near to the burner, and in a circuit, substantially as set forth.

I claim giving motion to gas-valves, or other mechanism, by means of the above-described combination of electro and permanent magnets, whether the arrangement be such that the permanent magnets, or the electromagnetic bar, be moved by the reversal ofthe current.

I claim, also, the arrangement of the burner, the igniting-points or wires, thc gas-valve, the primary and secondary coils, and the electro and permanent magnets, substantially as shownand described.

MOSES G. FARMER.

Witnesses: A

FRANCIS GoULD, S. B. Krnnnn. 

